does anyone have renal bone disease?

[texasstyle]

I recently read that usually starts after the patient has been on dialysis a couple years. I understand that bones can easily break, and high phosporours is a culprit. Do the bones eventually heal comletely? I'm imagining it similar to when a diabetics wound does not heal. What do they do when they break? Cast them normally? I believe it was metioned in the article I read that it often starts in the back.

[BillSharp]

Copied from this internet source:

http://www.medicinenet.com/osteodystrophy/article.htm

What is renal osteodystrophy?

The medical term "renal" describes things related to the kidneys. Renal osteodystrophy is a bone disease that occurs when your kidneys fail to maintain the proper levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. It's a common problem in people with kidney disease and affects 90 percent of dialysis patients.

Renal osteodystrophy is most serious in children because their bones are still growing. The condition slows bone growth and causes deformities. One such deformity occurs when the legs bend inward toward each other or outward away from each other; this deformity is referred to as "renal rickets." Another important consequence is short stature. Symptoms can be seen in growing children with renal disease even before they start dialysis.

"The bone changes from renal osteodystrophy can begin many years before symptoms appear in adults with kidney disease. For this reason, it's called the "silent crippler." The symptoms of renal osteodystrophy aren't usually seen in adults until they have been on dialysis for several years. Older patients and women who have gone through menopause are at greater risk for this disease because they're already vulnerable to osteoporosis, another bone disease, even without kidney disease. If left untreated, the bones gradually become thin and weak, and a person with renal osteodystrophy may begin to feel bone and joint pain. There's also an increased risk of bone fractures."

Hope this helps.

Bill

[KICKSTART]

Yeah high PTH is the main culprit. My last blood results before i went on Cinacalcet showed that changes where taking place in my bones. If caught soon enough and PTH reduced the bones can recover. Have you heard of people on here mention 'bone pain' ?

[texasstyle]

Thanks Bill. My goodness that's a little scary" the "silent crippler". Wow. KS I don't think I took notice to bone pain. hhmmm.. I do read here a lot to learn. So many concerns because of my husband and his "non diet" he does. Already went into muscle paralysis from potassium. His cheese consumption is scary. Eats the most cheese in the house and often 3 meals a day at times. I have fear that one day he may be in a nursing home if the renal bone disease caught up with him. One thing he's got going for him is the fact he probably won't be going through menapause anytime soon lol. Again, "silent crippler". Wow

[KICKSTART]

Menopause no ..mid life crisis yes !  Dont all men ? 

[Poppylicious]

Menopause no ..mid life crisis yes !  Dont all men ? 

My Blokey already is ... and he's only 35! 

(Sorry texas, can't help with your enquiry.)

[-Lady Noir-]

Mike had/has renal osteodystrophy. He had an extremely high PTH, even so high he chipped both hips after running a short few meters and ended up in hospital. He had the parathyroidectomy, did the dialysis, had the transplant, and is currently awaiting the results of his bone density scan! He is 27.

[RightSide]

A lot of us have renal bone disease.

When I was diagnosed with kidney failure--even before I had started dialysis--I already had moderate-to-severe bone pains in my legs and spine.  (It was becoming excruciating just to get behind the wheel of my car.)  In my case, this was a consequence of secondary hyperparathyroidism--PTH too high.

Treatment with Zemplar and calcium helped get my PTH down, at which point the bone pains began to diminish.

Incidentally, if PTH drops too far (to the level considered normal for a healthy person), we can have more trouble.  Bone remodeling will cease, a condition called "adynamic bone disease."  For this reason, my nephrologist kept my PTH at a somewhat higher level than is considered normal for a healthy person who doesn't have kidney failure--but still much lower than it was before I started treatment.

[RichardMEL]

This is exactly why keeping the PTH-Phos-Ca "triangle" in balance(or as much as possible) is so important. When the pTH gets high it leaches phos and calcium from the bones which obviously is dangerous if/when it keeps going. This is why it's monitored (or should be) so closely because they obviously don't want us getting brittle bones and so on.

Something to be aware of, and if the docs aren't mentioning it to ask.

[-Lady Noir-]

Yes! Something to be VERY aware of. They did nothing about Mikes PTH level until it was too late. They wen't on about how high it was almost a year before his accident, and all they did was go on about how to control phosphate intake, which Mike was careful about. Phosphate was always high.

[texasstyle]

I am wondering about the bone pain. Is it a pain that can confused w/ thinking you have Arthritis or is the pain in spots where you wouldn't get Arthritis like middle of a shin, etc..? I'm kind of gettingthe impression that even if someone's PTH comes back good on their labs they might still actually be starting the disease and then BAM, once it's almost too late it'll start to show on labs. Hhmm.. I'm sorry all of you (I'm the caregiver) who have renal disease have to go through this. I  totally understand why you mentally tired a lot. It must feel like the disease consumes you.

[RichardMEL]

I was under the impression that if/when the damage is done, then it's done so even if you do get the PTH under control, if it's too late... well.... it's too late - but I might be wrong on that. This is a process that goes over years, so it's not like 3 months and BAM.

Luckily I don't have any bone pain and I hope to never have it!